Vehicle-brake



. R. CLARK.

VEHlCLE BRAKE.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. a, 19m.

in connection with an automobile bumper WILLIAM R. CLARK, DF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

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assegna.

.application filed October 8, 1919. SerialNo. 329,183.

To all whom t may concerti Be it known that I, NILLIAM R. (finalen, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county oit King and State of' Washington., have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Vehicle-Brakes, ot

which the following is a specification.

This invention rei ates to emergency brakes for motor dri-ven vehicles. I

The principal object of my invention is the provision o simple, inexpensive and eiicient brake controlling devices for use which upon encountering an object will serve to actuate brakes to cause the vehicle to be brought Vto a sudden stop. i

A further object of the invention is th provision of means which are rendered operative by the application of the brakes to automatically lock the same in their engaged positions so that they can be released only after the. consumption of considerable time and necessitating the services ci' a person upon the ground.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of devices as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

ln the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference characters indicate corresponding, parts in all the views,-

Figure lis a plan View of the chassis of an automobile with an embodiment of my invention applied thereto.

F ig. 2 is a detail sectional View through 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through 3--3vo Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 are sectional views through 4--4 and 5 5 of Fi l.

n the drawings, 10 represents the frame for an automobile body which is supported by the usual wheels 11 and 12. The traction Wheels 12 at the rear of the frame are equipped with the brake drums 13.

14 and 15 represent brake shoes which are engaged and disengaged for ordinary roadv uses from the drivers seat (not shown) hy means of a pedal 1 6 and a controlling lever 17, connected by reach rods 161 and '171 with arms such as 18, Fig. 5, depending from a rock shaft 19 which, in turn, is connected by arms 20,21, reach rods .22 and arms 23, 24 with the brake shafts 141 and 151. The abovemeutioned parts are, or may be, similar to braking devices now in use.

According to the present invention, I provide in front of the frame 10, a bumper Specification of Letters latent.

Patented-T une 1921.

Acomprising a transverse rear member 25 and a front sem'ielliptic member 26 joined at their ends. Said bumper is formed of resilient or 4spring metal and is securedfrom the rear member 25 by'brackets'27 to the forward end of the frame 10.

Connected to the. bumpermember 26 adljacent to its ends are finger pieces 28 which are adapted to be engaged by horn elements -29 of a spring metal bar 29 secured at or about its niidlength to the bumper member 26. 1

30 represents 'arms shaft 19 and connected as 31 Fig.. 5, with the depending from the by pivotal pins, such rear ends of rods 32,

' one for each arm, which extendfthrough casings 33 and 34 rigidly secured to the adjacent side rail 101 of the frame.

The arms 30 are connected to the shaft 19 to afi'ord limited independent rotary movements to the latter with respect to the arms 18 so as to ena-ble the brakes to be ordinarily operated by means of the pedal or lever controls 16 and 1'?.

To which end the shaft 19 each arm 30with a feather or lug35 movable with the shaft in an arcuate recess 301 (Fig. 5) of tlie arm but engageablev by the end 301 of the recess when the arm is swung in the direction indicated by arrow A.

A rod 32 interiorly of the respective casing 33 is provided with a collar 321 to receive the thrust of a helical spring 36 which tends to yieldingly retain the rod to its forwardmost position. Within the respect-ive casing 34, a rod 32 is provided with rack teetli37 engageable by a 'spur pinion 38, Figs. 2 and 3, which is mounted upon a shaft 39 extending transversely through the casing and having a polygonal protruding end 391 engageable in the hub of a crank liandle 40.

41 represents a dog pivotally connected to a rod 32 and engageable against a stop h42 to hold the rod in its reai'most position in opposition to the respective spring 36.

A spring 43 is utilized to normally retain the dog 41 in its engagement with said stop. 44 represents a trip bolt extending from is provided at within proximity of a finger 28 through an with the dog so that the same 'will not be accidentally disengaged by reason of any vibratory movements ol the bolt in the operation of the vehicles.

The operation olf the invention is as 'tolloWs: ln a collision Where the bumper strikes an object the bumper part 291 is pressed baclrwardly causingl the horns 29 to strike against the bolts fifi and vforce the same against the respective (logs il to disengage theml irorn the stops /l thereby releasing the rods When thus released the springs 3G assert themselves by pushing the rods 32 forward to accordingly actuatc the arms il() wherculzion 'the brake mechanism is rendered operable to apply the bralic shoes and stop the vehicle.

The referred to brake mechanism, it is to be noted, involves the luu'einbet'ore described brake operating equipment such as employed on motolvehicles or anypther suitable or well known aliparatus.

lWhen the b altes are applied through the inediunA ol the pres nt invention they cannot loe disengaged from within the vehicle but only by the driver alightingr or by seine person on the ground who must manipulate by means of the crank l0 cach ot the spur fears 38 to successively restore the operating rods 32 into positions whereat the does al will cnthe resywctive stops 4:2. Such releasing of the emergency brake operating appliances Will therefore take considerable time so that the driver of the vehicle is compelled to remain for wliileat the place of collision instead of being able to escape without giving the injured party or others an opportunity to arrest the responsible party or. at least, to obtain sullicient inl'orlmition for subsequent idcntilication.

1While l have described the invention in the form new preferred by nic, arious changes may be made there-from without di parting,r from ille spirit al: the invenlion and within the scope of the appended claims; for instance, instead oi utiliing;- duplicate sets ol actuating' devices-one at cach side of die ramea s' igle set or organiz/.ation may be used and disposed as ne; r the longitudinal axis of the vehicle as practicable.

l.. ln a i'noto'r vehicle, the combination with the usual wheel brakes and operatingmechanism therc'l'or includunei a rock shalt,

and a` manually operated bralio lever con-4.

nected to said rock shalt, and a resilient bumpc attached io the 'liront of the Ichicle, of an arni (tourna-.lcd to said rock sha l'l to a'llord limited rotary motion tlicrcloiriljh ro.. sport to said arniv` a rod connected to said arm and provided with rack teeth. a spring' connected to the rod and tending lo act-nale said arm *for applying the brakes, a dog en gagging said rod and serving to releasably retain the latter in inoperative position, means influenced by the bumper when colliding with an object to ei'fect the disengagement of the dog `from said rod, a gear Wheel engaging With the rack teeth of said rod. and manually actuated means lor operating said gear wheel whereby the rod is moved in opposition to said spring into position to be engaged by said dog.

:2. lin a motor vehicle, the combination with the usual Wheel brakes and operating mechanism therefor including a pedal and a con i'rolling lever adapted to be employed selec ely to apjijily the brakes, of a bumper comprisin wo transversely arranged resilient nier/ibo disguised one in 'front ol the other, brac is connecting the rearmost of said members to the Vehicle trame for supting the bumper, rods connected to said operating mechanism, spring-s connected to the respective rods and tending to render said rods operative, means for releasably sccurinsaid rods in operative posi* tions, and yieidable devices engageable with 'the respective means, said devices beingr rendered operable by the bumper collidingv with an object to cause said devices to act through the instrumentality of said means whereby the spring` pressed rods are released' to effect the applying of the brakes.

3. ln a motor vehicle, the combination with the usual Wheel brakes and operating mechanism therefor including a pedal and a controlling' lever adapted to be employed selectively `to apply the brakes, of a bumper comprising two transversely arranged resilient members disposed one in front of the other, brackets connecting the rearnost of said members to the vehicle frame for supporting the bumper, rods connected to said.

brake operating mechanism, springs connected to lthe respective rods and tendingto render said rods opcratiife, means for releasably securinysaid rods in operative positions, yicldable devices engageable with the respective means and extending through the rearniost ol said bumper members, and means provided intermediate said bumper members and rendered operable by the bumper collidingwith an object to ca said devices to act whcrebythe springr passed rods are re leased by the aforesaid :means to electthe applying' ot the brakes.

lignml at Seattle, iWashington, this 2nd day of ctober, 1919.

WILLAM R. CLARK W itnosscs Premie BARNES, Emmnrn J 01ans@ 

